


Princess and the Wolf

by EnormousEgg



Category: Bleach
Genre: F/M, set between rukia's and orihime's arc, why ship orihime with an abusive arrancar when starrk is right there??
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-18
Updated: 2020-11-18
Packaged: 2021-03-10 03:28:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,271
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27616948
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EnormousEgg/pseuds/EnormousEgg
Summary: Bored with Hueco Mundo, Coyote Starrk decides to pop into the human world for some me-time. Inoue Orihime throws a wrench into his plans almost immediately.
Relationships: Inoue Orihime/Coyote Starrk
Comments: 2
Kudos: 18





	Princess and the Wolf

As a pacifistic espada, there was little Coyote Starrk could do with his time. After months of badgering Szayel (courtesy of Lilynette), Coyote finally got his hands on a reiatsu suppression coat.

"You'd better be grateful, Starrk," said Szayel, his glasses glinting in the poorly lit halls of Las Noches. "Not only is this coat efficient, its style matches with this century's sense of fashion _perfectly."_

"Alright," grunted Coyote. "Thanks."

The pink-haired espada sniffed, annoyed by Coyote's indifference but mollified by his gratitude nevertheless. "What do you even need this for, anyway? Can't you just split your soul again like with Lilynette?"

"It's a pain," he replied, not bothered to elaborate. The process was cumbersome, and Lilynette was handful enough. "Laters, Szayel."

Without waiting for a response, Coyote sonido'd far enough from Las Noches so that no one could follow him without exerting themselves. He didn't trust Szayel to not have placed a tracking device on the coat somewhere, but there was little Coyote could do to circumvent that. If only he had been born with a little more brain and a little less brawn.

Coyote shook that useless thought from his head, echoes of Lilynette's nagging reaching him despite the distance. He shrugged on the white coat and opened a garganta in front of him without a destination in mind.

The yawning gateway spat him out at a small town in Japan, judging by the characters on the street signs and shops. He waited for a beat, then another, but either this town's resident shinigami was occupied at the moment or Szayel's coat did its job, because no one so much as glanced at him hovering in the sky.

Coyote swept his gaze over the place and decided the park was as good a place as any for a nap. It had a large pond, an empty bench, and a shady tree to keep out the worst of the sunlight. Despite what some lesser arrancar thought, Coyote was no vampire; he just slept a lot and liked to stay indoors.

A change of pace was nice sometimes, especially lately. Aizen was plotting, and the entirety of Las Noches was affected as a result. Skirmishes within the white walls of his newfound home increased daily, and Coyote couldn't be bothered to deal with all the fuss being kicked up.

No one was at the park when Coyote arrived, and no one within their right mind would try to approach him with what little reiatsu he was leaking. Though he was long used to suppressing it by now, his ability and his coat could only do so much to restrain his presence. Back in Hueco Mundo, outside the walls of Las Noches, most hollows would perish simply by getting too close to him. Here, in the human world, people gave him a wide berth without even realising it.

Well, except one person.

"Come here, Mr Cat," urged a soft voice above him.

Coyote pried open his eyes and watched as a young girl with orange hair hugged the trunk of the tree tightly and reached for a hissing cat on the edge of a branch. When the cat refused to do more than glare at the girl, she chanced her luck by letting go of the trunk and crawling along the branch.

_Oi, oi,_ thought Coyote, watching her closely. _That branch is gonna snap if she keeps—_

A large crack splintered the air as the branch broke beneath the girl's weight. She barely had time to scream before Coyote stood up and caught her bridal-style.

Round grey eyes peered up at him in surprise. "Thank you," she gasped, winded from her fall.

Coyote wordlessly set her down on the bench, not trusting her to stand on her own two feet just yet.

"That your cat?" he wondered, glancing at the fuzzy ball of malice. Reminded him of Grimmjow a bit, actually.

"Not mine. It's those kids' over there," she said, nodding to the anxious children standing on the other side of the sizable pond. As much as they wanted their pet back, they didn't dare come close to Coyote.

Yet the girl seemed unaffected by him. Curious.

Seeing he had no reason not to, Coyote climbed the tree with ease and swiped the cat from the tree. He hopped down and presented the suddenly docile creature to the girl.

She stared, wide-eyed and open-mouthed at his casual display of athleticism.

"Thank you!" Her bright smile seemed to outshine the sun itself.

Coyote's tracked her as she jogged over to the crying children and handed them their cat back. They hugged her as thanks; giggling, she patted their heads and waved them off.

To Coyote's growing surprise, the girl returned to him instead of going off her own way.

"Thank you again," she chirped, bounding over to him. "I'm Inoue Orihime, by the way."

Recognising the pleasantry for what it was, Coyote dipped his head in a small nod of acknowledgment. "Coyote Starrk."

Her expression grew more excited. "Are you a movie star?" she asked in a conspiratorial whisper as though there was anyone in the park besides them two.

"Definitely not," he replied flatly, bemused.

"Oh." It was almost comical, the way she deflated. "Are you new to town? I've never seen you before."

Coyote dragged a hand through his hair. Were all humans this nosy? "I just got here."

Orihime nodded. She checked her watch. "I have to get to work now. It was nice meeting you, Starrk-san. I hope I see you around sometime."

Not one to make promises he couldn't keep, Coyote bowed his head in another shallow nod.

Satisfied, Orihime shot him a warm smile before hurrying off. The sunshine seemed to go with her.

Coyote was by himself at the park once more. For some reason, it no longer held his interest. Stifling a yawn, he opened up a garganta and stepped through it, all thoughts of Orihime already fleeing his mind.

* * *

He returned to the park a week later. To his slight surprise, Orihime was on the bench, nibbling on a pastry.

“Starrk-san!” she called enthusiastically once she spotted him.

Coyote stared, having never been on the receiving end of such a happy welcome before. Hollows were anything but carefree, the espada especially.

“Hey,” he replied, settling onto the bench. He was on the far side, putting as much distance between them as possible.

Judging by the position of the sun and orange and pink streaks across the sky, the day was nearing its end. Coyote greedily breathed in the scent of flowers and grass around him, and committed the sounds of the pond and its living inhabitants to his memory.

“Are you an artist, Starrk-san?”

Coyote turned his head to face Orihime, who was unabashedly watching him. “Why do you say that?”

She tilted her head to the side like a bird. “You have a gentle soul, like an artist.”

Gentle? The primera espada? If Lilynette were here, she’d be laughing her ass off.

“I’m afraid you’re mistaken,” he said, reclining against the bench so he could get comfortable.

Orihime hummed as though doubtful of his reply. “I like your coat, by the way. Is it your favourite? You were wearing it last time as well.”

Coyote swept the imaginary lint off of his white sleeve. “It’s useful. A…friend of mine made it for me.”

Orihime gasped in delight. “Your friend must be extremely talented! He’s definitely an artist in his own right.”

_Hah. Wonder what Szayel would make of that._

“I’ll pass that along to him,” promised Coyote, the corner of his mouth lifting up into a smirk.

“Ooh, do you think he could make me one too? I’ll commission him, of course.”

What would a reiatsu suppression device do to a human? Moreover, what would Szayel do if Starrk walked up to him and requested another coat, this time for a woman?

_Troublesome._

“He only does men’s clothing,” lied Coyote.

“Oh.” Orihime frowned, clearly disappointed. Such vulnerability got you killed in Hueco Mundo; having grown up in the human realm, free from such violence and darkness, allowed Orihime to develop into a person who carelessly wore her heart on her sleeve. Starrk envied her for that.

The frown marring her face unsettled him. Starrk had known her for all of ten minutes, but he was certain smiles were much more suited to her disposition.

"What are you eating?" he asked, glancing at the pastry she was almost done with.

"A croissant," she replied. "My manager at the bakery lets me take home what doesn't sell at the end of the shift. This one was plain, but I added some miso and chilli jam to spice things up."

Coyote was no connoisseur, but that combination sounded suspicious even to him. "And it tastes good?" he wondered doubtfully.

"It's delicious! Would you like a bite?"

"No, you go ahead."

"I have some more bread in my bag," she said, rifling through it. "Red bean buns, plain milk buns, an apricot pastry…"

She'd probably keep going until he spoke up. "I'll take the milk one, then."

Orihime beamed at him as she handed a glazed brown bun at him. She watched almost with bated breath as he removed the bread from its plastic wrapping and sunk his teeth into it. It was ridiculously soft and almost flavourless.

“It’s good,” he decided after swallowing the first bite.

“That’s good to hear,” sighed Orihime, finishing the last of her pastry. “Matsuya-san will be so pleased.”

“Your boss, I take it?”

She bobbed her head up and down in a nod. “She’s great. She accommodates my school hours, encourages my studies, and doesn’t look down on me for my age.”

“You’re an oversharer, huh?” surmised Coyote.

Orihime blushed. “I’ve been called a babbler more than once,” she admitted in a small voice, twiddling her thumbs.

Coyote massaged the back of his neck. “Didn’t say it was a bad thing,” he muttered, averting his gaze from her. One could even say it was nice, listening to her inconsequential chatter. “You probably make good company for your friends.”

Orihime stopped fidgeting. She gazed at the pond distractedly. “These days I feel like nothing but a burden to my friends,” she murmured.

“Did they say as much?” If so, they weren’t very good friends.

“They don’t need to.” Orihime curled into herself. “One person--someone I admire--told me not to get in the way of things. He’s right, of course, but it still hurts.”

Carefully, Coyote reached over and placed his hand atop of Orihime’s head, much like he’d seen her do to those kids a while back. “That guy sounds like a moron,” he said seriously.

Orihime shot him a small smile. “Thank you, Starrk-san.”

He felt himself mirroring her gesture. “As far as I can tell, you’re anything but dead weight. You should have a little more faith in yourself,” he told her, retracting his hand.

Orihime’s smile widened. “You think so?”

He nodded.

“All right!” Determination blazing in her eyes, Orihime shot up and clenched her hands into fists. “No more moping, Orihime. Time to do your best!”

Coyote brought a hand to his face to cover the smile stretching across his face. This human was too amusing.

“What about you, Starrk-san?” When he peered up at her in confusion, she said, “Do you have any goals in mind?”

“Not at the moment. I’ll let you know when I do.”

Orihime grinned.

* * *

She looked infinitely better the next time he saw her.

They were at the park again. This time Coyote was the first to arrive. While waiting for Orihime’s inevitable presence, he hogged the bench to himself, lying horizontally so he could have a proper nap. When he woke, hours had passed, and someone was playing with his hair.

Were he any of the other espada, he would have lashed out at whoever dared to lay their hands on him while his guard was down. Fortunately for his human companion, Coyote was neither hot-tempered or bloodthirsty. Instead, he angled his head further down so he could get a good look at Orihime. Even upside down, she was gorgeous.

“You smell like peaches,” he murmured.

He was rewarded with the sight of her cheeks reddening in embarrassment. The sight was even more endearing up-close.

“It’s my shampoo,” she said shyly. She leaned back on her heels so that her curtain of orange hair was no longer hovering over him.

“Why were you combing through my hair?” he asked languidly.

“You were sleeping so peacefully, I didn’t want to disturb you.” A mischievous glint sparkled in her grey eyes. “Then I decided to weave flowers through your hair.” She held up a tiny purple flower to prove her point.

Coyote brought a handful of hair into his line of sight. She really had decorated it with the flowers from the park.

He chuckled at her audacity.

Orihime’s eyebrows flew to her hairline. “You have a nice laugh, Starrk-san,” she said, smiling. “It transforms your face completely.”

Coyote rubbed his jaw. “I can’t remember the last time I laughed,” he confessed neutrally.

Orihime gasped as if he had said something truly scandalous. “But what about when you’re watching a comedy? Or reading a really funny manga?”

“What’s manga?”

Orihime’s eyes seemed as though they were going to fall out of her head in shock. “You don’t know what manga is? You’re missing out!”

With alarming ferocity, Orihime snatched her back from the ground and pulled out a thin book. She brandished the colourful cover at him. “This is my favourite series,” she informed him. “I’m re-reading it for the third time now.”

Coyote sat up and accepted the book. He flicked through it as Orihime seated herself beside him. He was two pages in when Orihime began chuckling, apparently reading alongside him.

He had to admit, it was an entertaining story. As much as he wanted to absorb himself in the manga, the person beside him was proving to be incredibly distracting. Orihime was all but pressing herself against him; more than once her ample chest brushed against his arm as she leaned over to read the rightmost panels. He read through the manga as quickly as humanly possible.

“Well?” prompted Orihime, glancing up at him through her lashes. “Did you like it?”

“It was good,” he said, not wanting to disappoint her. “Where can I read more?”

Pleased, Orihime clapped her hands together. “I have the entire series at my place! I got it on sale when one of the local bookstores closed down. Do you want to come read the rest?”

She was inviting him over. Coyote stared at her open expression, her sincere gaze.

“Sure.”

Orihime lived approximately ten minutes away from the park. As they walked, Coyote shrunk his reiatsu so that it was practically undetectable; it wouldn’t sit right with him if he caused Orihime’s neighbours any discomfort.

He half-expected her place to be a mess, based on her scatterbrained personality. He was also expecting several other orange-haired humans chattering and laughing up a storm inside. In fact, Orihime’s apartment was spotless and equally devoid of noise.

“You live on your own?” he surmised, noting the lack of shoes on the shelf by the entrance. “Are you old enough to be emancipated?”

“My brother took care of me the day I turned three,” explained Orihime as she took off her shoes and placed them in their cubby. “He died a few years back. I’ve been living here by myself since. I’m not lonely, though! The family next door takes good care of me, and my aunt sends me money as long as I keep my grades up, and my friends always keep things interesting around here.”

Coyote fought to extinguish any pity lurking in his eyes. He smiled. “So where’s your manga collection?”

He waited in her living room while she grabbed as many books as she could carry and plopped them before him on the kotatsu. Winter was on the horizon, and even though the cold didn’t bother Coyote, he slipped his legs beneath the blanketed table and leaned back against Orihime’s couch. While he read, the girl in question brewed some tea.

“I hope jasmine is okay,” Orihime said, boiling some water.

Having never had tea before, Coyote assured her it was.

He was on the third volume when Orihime placed a tray lined with two tea cups and a single teapot atop the kotatsu.

“You’re a fast reader,” noted Orihime, sounding pleasantly surprised.

“It’s an easy read.” He sipped at the tea. It was floral and refreshing. Coyote abruptly remembered the flowers in his hair and began picking them out before he forgot again. It would lead to too many questions back at Hueco Mundo if anyone caught sight of him like that.

After several minutes of silence punctured by the sounds of tea-sipping and page-flipping, Orihime spoke up. “I lied earlier,” she murmured, thumbing her teacup. “I do get lonely sometimes. Thank you for keeping me company, Starrk-san.”

“I know a thing or two about loneliness,” he replied, reflecting on those endless days of isolation before he had split his soul in half. Even with Lilynette to keep him company, other hollows preferred not to get too close to him. Joining Aizen was supposed to have abetted the icy crush of solitude, but little had changed after stepping foot within the white walls of Las Noches.

“I guess we’re kind of alike,” said Orihime, smiling shyly.

Maybe that was why he felt so drawn to her; they were kindred spirits desperate for companionship.

“Mm, I hope you don’t make a habit of inviting strange men into your home like this,” he remarked, dispelling the odd air that had begun to enshroud them.

Orihime waved her hands erratically. “No, no, of course not. You’re not a strange man, Starrk-san. You’re a good person - I trust you.”

Trust was difficult to come by and easily discarded where he came from. Orihime hardly seemed to have a deceitful bone in her body, however.

He wondered how she would react if she knew the carnage he had spread in all the years that had led up to this point. Coyote wasn’t the same animal he was prior to becoming an arrancar, but the beast laid dormant deep within him, ready to be called forth at a moment’s notice.

“Thank you for the tea,” he said, unfurling himself from the kotatsu. “And the manga.”

Orihime hastened to stand up to see him out. “You should take the other volumes with you. It gets better the further along you read.”

Coyote hesitated to accept her offer. “It might be a while before I see you again.” The risk was too high otherwise.

“That’s fine,” Orihime assured him, smiling. “I already know how it ends.”

With her blessing, Coyote collected the last four volumes, which were put away in a spare plastic bag Orihime had lying around. She handed it to him at the doorway, still smiling.

“See you, Starrk-san,” she said as he accepted the bag.

Their hands brushed as he gripped the handle. Coyote ignored the tightness of his throat. “Until next time, Orihime.” He rested his hand on her head, his fingers almost brushing one of the aqua hair pins keeping her bangs out of her lovely face.

Before he could do something reckless, he dropped his hand and opened the front door. As soon as he closed it behind him, he ran away and leapt into a half-formed garganta.

He missed her already.

**Author's Note:**

> comments greatly appreciated :^)


End file.
